Reconciliation of the Chosen Future
by RainyPiano
Summary: Direct sequel to "The Cessation of Memory." After taking on a bold experiment, Okabe and Kurisu find themselves more pressured than ever to act like the couple they've become, even as summer's end seems destined to separate them. A very fluffy fiction that continues my extension of the original story's True Ending.
1. Chapter 1

_This story takes place immediately after my first story, "The Cessation of Memory." That story picked up where the events of the animated film "Steins;Gate Fuka Ryōiki no Déjà vu," left off, which basically matches the True End of the Steins;Gate Visual Novel. A tiny bit of content related to Steins;Gate 0 is also included._

 ** _Reconciliation of the Chosen Future_**

 _Our future selves are free_  
 _Your future self will love me_  
 _Our future eyes will see_  
 _Your future self will love me_

 _-Faded Paper Figures, "Future Self"_

Enveloped by darkness and warmth, I am asleep.

Consciousness flickers behind the pressure of a good night's rest, and I feel myself take a deep breath and shift my body. I don't know why, but I feel content. Slowly, I start to realize I haven't felt this way in a long time, memories creeping out of the darkness and into the light of day.

"Mmm…" I lift my arm over my face as I roll over to stop the light from clawing at my closed eyes. I become aware of a large blanket covering my body, holding in my body heat.

Ever so slowly, I open one eye and from beneath my arm. The light of a bright afternoon illuminates something surprising: There's someone next to me, the edges of their body glowing with white fire as my eyes adjust to the sunlight.

It's Kurisu. She leaning up in the bed, half covered by the same blanket I'm under. She holds a phone in her hands, eyes fixed on the screen as waves of brown hair run down her shoulders. She seems totally relaxed.

 _Kurisu… oh… oh yeah…_

The night before… her body close to mine, intense conversations and desire, spoken aloud, do you… want to be…

 _My girlfriend?_

The mindless comfort of that awesome sleep is starting to be drained by anxiety. I slowly lean up, resisting the urge to flop back down. Strands of black hair catch in my eyes.

"Oh!" Kurisu seems startled, nearly losing her phone in the ocean of blankets. "Good morning to you too!"

"Hello." I reply tonelessly. "What… time… is it?" I'm blinking the sun out of my eyes. We are in Kurisu's huge hotel room, and that light is coming in through the open sliding glass window.

"It's like 11am." Kurisu replies.

That wakes me up. "Whoa, really?" I meet her gaze in shock. "That's so late!"

Kurisu looks away with a shrug. "You where sleeping so well, and it's not like we've got plans today, and you'd whine if I woke you up."

Her tone is judgmental, but I'm still grateful.

 _Kurisu let me sleep in. I bet she even sat there and watched me sleep like the pervert she is. That's because…_

A huge smile starts to creep across my face. It reflects the type of feeling you get when, just because of one singular fact, everything else that's wrong with this world fades into nothing.

"Hey Kurisu…" I say, but don't wait for her to reply. "You're my girlfriend, right? I didn't dream that?"

Her heads snaps around and she stares at me, and I know I've got that stupid grin on my face, so I guess the surprise in her eyes is understandable.

Kurisu squeals and grabs a pillow, knocking it into my shoulder, leaping off the bed, and vanishing into the bathroom.

"So… yes?" I say to myself smugly.

I give a huge yawn and get up; feeling refreshed and ready to face whatever challenges this world line can throw at me.

I can only hope it lasts.

* * *

Kurisu and I are strolling down the crowded summer streets of Akihabara, heading for the Future Gadget Lab.

We didn't have any other ideas about what to do.

 _What next? Is it really okay to just be… relaxed about all this?_

I don't know. I can't revive that happy sensation I had when I first woke up. Just… feeling, not thinking. Sleeping next to my girlfriend in a warm, content darkness.

 _What do we do next? She'll be leaving so soon… what can I do to make her happy before then? What can I do…_

"… so anyway, after that, Maho kind of forgot about it after that, so I guess it was okay in the end… Okabe, are you even listening?"

 _… to make her want to return someday?_

Kurisu had been telling me tales of her lab in America, but I guess my attention had drifted.

"Hmmm?" I look lazily back at her. "I was just distracted by… thinking of how the Organization might target me next! It may seem peaceful now, but vigilance is always necessary!"

"Okabe!" The exact type of frustration in her voice was hard to place. "Jeez! What has gotten into you today? You're daydreaming like a lovesick girl. I…"

She suddenly runs her hands through her hair, blushing and looking away.

"Who's the lovesick girl, now?" I taunt.

Kurisu instantly chills, and lifts her nose into the air and closes her eyes. She's perfectly posed to deflect any and all inquiry.

"What could you, a perverted virgin man, possibly know about the emotional inner workings of woman?"

I want to take out my phone so I can talk to myself and escape, but I can't bring myself to do it.

"I… I might know a _little_ something…" I mutter, realizing I'm sounding more dejected than I feel. "No…" I slow my pace, working through the intent in my words. "I _want_ to know more about it. That's what I mean."

"Okabe…" Kurisu has brought her hands to her chest, and is blushing fiercely. "That… was really mature, for you."

I feel blush myself in reply. "O-of course, who do you think I am?"

We've stopped on the sidewalk and are staring at each other. You could cut the tension with a dull knife. The shadows of a nearby tree quiver as they wash over us, the intermittent bursts of light making me feel as if we are standing alone under the ocean.

She gives me a small smile. "Maybe this isn't a mistake after all."

"A mistake?!" I blurt, "Really?!" I can't but feel a touch incredulous.

Kurisu gives that type of shrug that Americans often do, which is annoying because I can't read it at all.

"Come on, let's go." She continues walking, and I follow her.

 _A mistake… seriously…_

As we approach our destination, I start "daydreaming like a lovesick girl" again.

I hadn't thought about the future much, until today. I'd spent so much time struggling with the past that I thought little of the future. As long as the Steins;Gate world line was reality, what happened in the future was a total unknown. Therefore, not my problem.

 _I'm not needed in this world anymore. I'm used up. I'm done. Yet..._

I focus on Kurisu's narrow shoulders as she walks in front of me.

 _Stop thinking that way! You still have a place in this future._

I shudder in the summer heat. I feel disconnected from my senses, arguing with myself in my head like this. I seek that feeling I had this morning again, that feeling of…

 _…of being present._

Suddenly we are in the lab, and the familiar scent and sight of it bring me back to reality a bit.

"Tututru~!"

Mayuri gives her usual greeting, rushing up to say hello. Daru is also here, by his computer as always. At this moment, I can't figure out if the normality is comforting or disturbing.

"Hello, Mayuri!" Kurisu replies in kind to Mayuri's cheerful reception. "Can I try my hand at that stitch again?" She winks at Mayuri, who winks back.

"Mmm!" Mayuri spirits Kurisu away to the sewing table, leaving me alone, so I decide to bother Daru.

"Oi." I say, sliding up to him and placing my arm on the back his chair. "What's up, my number one supa hacka?"

"It's supe _r_ hack _er_." Daru replies, not looking away from the screen. "And nothing much."

"Is that another job?" I inquire, studying the rows of code on the screen.

"Yup." Daru replies, still not looking at me.

"Is it dangerous?" I ask. "Maybe you shouldn't do this kind of stuff. I can't risk losing my most loyal hacka, after all."

"Don't care." Daru answers.

I grunt, annoyed. It's like trying to having a conversation with a brick when he's hacking.

Out of nowhere, Mayuri stands up and makes an announcement. "Muyushi and Chris chan are gonna go to the store to grab more supplies, okay?"

I turn around, feeling relived. I'd rather walk and be anxious than suffer in this hot, awkward room. "Okay, do you need-"

But before I can get a word in, Mayuri and Kurisu streak out the door. I catch Kurisu's eye as she slips through the door, and glimpse unmistakable mischief.

I start to follow them, but give up at the door. For some reason, my heart is pounding.

"Daru!" I whip around to face him. "What is the meaning of this?!"

But Daru looks as bewildered as I feel. "I don't know, man. That was kinda weird, wasn't it? Ummm…" Daru's mouth curls into a smile. "I wonder what they're gonna do… together…"

"This is no time for panting, you perverted gentlemen! I…"

My face is burning like the sun. I can't contain myself. There's no reason to hide it, is there? It's all I can think about. My heart is racing and my stomach is spinning, but…

"Daru, I…" I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "I asked Kurisu out last night!"


	2. Chapter 2

Daru's mouth falls open, and he leans so far off his chair that he falls off and lands on the floor with a huge thud.

"What?!" Daru squeaks, one arm holding him off the floor as his hat topples from his head. "Y-you asked out a girl?! Y-you asked out KURISU MAKISE?! Published an article in _Science_ KURISU MAKISE?! Neuroscience genius…"

Suddenly I remember that in this world line, Kurisu and I haven't spent as much time together as we did in the alpha world line.

Sure, Daru knew us as friends, but he hadn't watched Kurisu and I interact much. We hadn't built anything together in this timeline. For all Daru knew, we weren't anything more than distant friends. I suppose his reaction is… understandable?

At this point, Daru is just lying on the floor, facing the ceiling, half of his massive body hanging off the computer chair.

"Dude…" I croak. "Are you… crying?"

Actually, his face is just streaming with sweat, but I'm still in shock looking at his expression.

"O-okabe… h-has a girlfriend…" he blubbers. "-you're just a… a normie now, a mainstream man… I cannot comprehend this chain of events... my mind is… blue screening…"

"Daru… I haven't even told you if she said yes or not…" I say, lowering my voice.

"Ohhh!" Daru clumsily gets to his feet and stands up, eyes blazing. "Did she reject you?!"

I shake my head. "No, she… she said yes, actually."

"OOOUUUUuuuOOOUuu!" Daru is losing his mind. His own emotions are so overwhelming that I find myself feeling confident and composed in comparison.

"But of COURSE!" I stand up suddenly and point a finger at Daru. In a way, I've beaten Daru to a girlfriend, even if he grieves it as a loss. "What woman could resist the mysterious allure and raw power of Hououin Kyouma?!

Daru gives a hearty laugh. "No way, dude… I mean, it's KURISU MAKISE! She's like… kinda famous. And really cute, too! Got small proportions for my tastes, but…"

"Daru!" I snap, feeling the need to shut down his sexism. "Her proportions are perfect for the size of her body!"

Daru's face suddenly transforms again. "H-have… have you… touched them…"

I'm horrified, and definitely blushing like mad now. "NO!" I howl. "I'm still a virgin, like you." I realize too late that I'm being _way_ too loud. I rush over to the window and snap it shut in a hurry.

Daru's face drops. "But at this rate… you'll never become a wizard, like me…"

I cross my arms. "You won't make it that far. What about that that girl you met at the con? Yuki, I think her name was?"

Daru recoils. "T-that's not your business! Anyway, I'm gonna be forever alone! Not like you… dating a mainstream woman!"

"Kurisu is NOT mainstream, trust me." I retort. "Besides, like I said, you should have a girlfriend soon too."

 _A girlfriend who's gonna be his wife._

But… will she be, in this timeline? Will Suzuha even be born? What a minute… will Kurisu eventually become MY wife?! At least I haven't seen any of my own kids from the future…

 _Isn't that something I'd want...?_

I'm getting confused thinking about the future again, and it makes me feel like I'm floating away from the world once more.

Daru has moved to the couch, mopping sweat off his brow with one of poor Muyrui's cloth scraps on the table.

I sit down across from him, squatting on the floor and keeping my arms crossed. Daru seems to have cooled down a bit, so maybe we can have a decent conversation now.

"Ouuuu…" Daru says. "I can't believe it. You've got guts, you know that Okarin?"

I nod. "Of course. I'm Hououin Kyouma, remember?"

 _You have no idea… but thanks, Daru._

"Are you sure she didn't ask _you_?" Daru pants. "Because…"

"No, I asked." I reply. "Yesterday… at her hotel, actually." The words just keep happening. Daru doesn't need to know any of them, but I feel like sharing it for some reason. It's just us men here, after all.

Daru makes a sound like he's having an asthma attack. "H-hotel…"

I smile. "That's right. A girls hotel…" A put my hand to my chin and contemplate what Daru views as such an accomplishment. "It's not that weird, though, I promise…"

 _It's Kurisu. The person I love. Of course it's not some perverted love hotel I'm talking about. But that's just Daru being Daru._

I jump as I hear footsteps. Daru's freakout must have taken more time than it seemed. That… or the girls didn't actually walk all the way to a hobby store.

"Are they coming back?!" Daru pants. "We gotta act natural!"

Daru scrambles back into his chair, and I scramble to find a piece of literature off the floor and look busy pretending to read it.

Kurisu and Mayrui walk into the lab, and the first thing Kurisu does is open the window.

"Whew…" she sighs. "It's so gross in here…"

Suddenly Kurisu gives me a very odd look. "Okabe… _what_ are you reading?"

I take a closer look at the magazine I'd picked up. "Uehh!" I drop it like it had burned me, and what lands on the floor is one of Daru's erotic serialized manga.

 _Whoops_.

Kurisu's face is so priceless I almost burst into laughter. Instead I cross my arms, close my eyes, and mutter. "That was an accident."

Kurisu snorts and rolls her eyes. "Is that your summer homework? The schools in Japan, I swear…"

I shrink under her gaze. There's nothing I can really do now to defend myself.

"Okarin!" Mayuri breaks the silence. "Look at what I got you and Daru!"

Mayuri shoves two slips of paper into my hands, and jumps back, giggling. I realize now that Kurisu has her hand over her mouth is looking away.

I glance to Daru, and we share a moment of unified terror.

 _This IS some kind of plot!_

I hold up the slips of paper, and see that they are movie tickets.

"Return to the Virtual World: Rai Net the Movie 2" I read aloud. "That's… a kids cartoon…"

Kurisu speaks up. "This is Mayuri's gift to me before I go back to America." She says, trying to sound confident. "So… I let her pick the movie…"

I can hear the regret in Kurisu's tone.

"But…" Daru begins. "We've each got two tickets…" He's staring at his gift with bewilderment.

Mayuri steps up. "That's so you can bring somebody with you, of course! Mayushi set this up! It's a double date! For Okarin and Chris Chan, and Daru and Yuki chan!"

She tilts her head and smiles.

 _Are you… serious… she's serious._

Only Mayuri would come out and explain her wicked plot to all of us, just like that. It also means that…

I recall Kurisu being startled by me this morning while she was texting.

 _She told Mayuri everything! I bet this is HER plot, not Mayuri's._

My body actually feels like it's in shock. Mayuri accepted Kurisu, just like that. She's not jealous or sad, at least not on the surface. I really don't deserve a friend as generous as her.

Also, she helped set up a double date when…

"Daru's not actually dating Yuki…" I say, narrowing my eyes at Daru and feeling the heat in the room shift towards him.

Daru runs with it. "That's right! I haven't even gone on a single date with her before! Or anyone. Actually…"

The sweat go cold on my neck as he turns to me, eyes huge in his round face. "Okarin hasn't ever been on a date either. Have you?!"

I'm frozen. The truth is, I haven't… at least in this timeline. I asked Kurisu out, to be my girlfriend, without ever taking her out on a single date…

I explode in response. "I've been VERY busy keeping the world safe from evil instead, thank you!"

I turn to Kurisu, who is standing over me with her arms crossed. The pose she takes when she's in charge.

"Well…" she says, looking down at me. "It's true. How can we be dating if we've never been on a date? It's embarrassing!"

"That's a technicality!" I counter. "You said yes! You can't take it back!"

"Unless I break up with you." Kurusu's voice is ice.

The energy between us is so heated that I almost forget Daru and Mayuri are there.

Her voice softens as she adds, "And I don't think it's out of line to expect a date f-from… you..."

She's starting to waver, but she holds her dominant pose, finally closing her eyes and finishing her sentence.

"…from my boyfriend!"

At the word "boyfriend," an emotional shock rumbles through the room. Daru gasps.

"So it's true…" Daru whispers, as if some dark, unbelievable secret has been revealed to the world.

"You didn't believe _me_?" I say, annoyed.

"Sorta." Daru says flatly.

Kurisu drops her arms in surprise. "Wait… you told that pervert about us?!"

I honestly don't see her problem. "Yeah, so? _You_ told Mayuri."

"Hmph!" Kurisu stiffens again. "I guess that's right…"

 _This is so bizarre. But…_

Something is closing up the usual hole in my chest. I'm starting to feel elated when Daru interrupts me and blurts, "T-these tickets are for Friday! That's _tomorrow_!"

He's right. The pressure is really on. Never mind, the hole in my chest is hollow again.

"Chris chan leaves soon, remember?" Mayuri states the obvious as helpfully as she can.

"B-bu-bu-but…" Daru begins to protest, but I can tell his spirit is broken. He turns back to his monitor, hunched over as he holds the tickets limply in his hand. I've never seen a man so defeated by what should be goods news.

 _Does he really like that Yuki girl?_

I lean back on the floor, unable to process everything at once. But I know I should…

"Thanks, Mayuri." I say. "I should pay you back for these."

Mayuri waves her tiny hands in protest. "Nonono! It's a gift to you and Chris chan."

"Alright." I answer, voice low so she knows I'm serious. I guess it would be rude to refuse.

"So Kurisu…" I say, looking up at her, "looking forward to the adventures of Upa in fairyland?"

Her checks flush. I've targeted the one mistake she made in formulating this plot: she let Mayuri choose the movie. A foolish, amateur mistake.

"W-well…" she answers, flustered. "Lots of adults enjoy children's cartoons these days. Even people who aren't otaku! I-it's not that weird!"

Mayuri is glowing at this. Seeing her so happy almost makes the pain of having to see a film made for 5 year old kids (in theaters!) worth it.

"Whatever you say… assistant."

Kurisu winks at me. "We shouldn't judge it until we try it."

With that, she goes to sit on the couch with Mayuri, and the two of them began a low conversation as they fiddle with the sewing materials. I have no doubt they are gossiping about all the drama THEY caused.

Daru, on the other hand, is sitting at his computer like a concrete statue. I can't rely on him right now.

Absentminded and emotionally spent, I pick up the erotic manga and flip through it for a while. I figure the damage is done.

"Daru…" I say, after seeing more than enough. "This is… it's trash, Daru. It's offensively stupid."

"Everything…" Daru moans. "… is trash."

I sigh and toss the manga back down, glancing up at Kurisu and Mayuri on the couch, where they sit happily chatting.

"Can't really say I agree with you."


	3. Chapter 3

I doze in and out of sleep on the couch.

Twilight creeps into the lab, coating it with a calm orange. Kurisu and Muyuri have left to go home, leaving Daru and me alone once more. I've been trying to press Daru for details on his movie date, but it's like trying to get blood from a stone.

I grunt and roll over, trying not to worry so much about tomorrow.

My head is still spinning from everything that's happened, and I just want an escape. If I can just fall asleep here…

 _Sure would be nice to sleep next to Kurisu again…_

Isn't she all alone in that huge hotel room?

I shove my legs off the edge of the small couch, trying to get comfortable.

 _The bed in that hotel room was awfully big..._

I give a long, frustrated sigh.

 _Maybe… I could call and ask to stay over?_

Furrowing my brows in frustration, I press my face deeper into the couch. There's no way she'd respond well to that. But I can still feel the pressure of the phone in my pocket.

 _You could just text her instead…_

I'm sure Kurisu would have a few things to say about the chemical effects of romance on the brain. It's addictive properties. How once you feel your partners hands exploring your body, their lips on yours, the heat of their skin… after that, your brain can't help but desire those feelings.

I'm getting flush just thinking about it, actually. Kurisu would think me weak willed. She'd say it was nothing but chemical cravings.

 _I miss you! I want to spend as much as time next to you as possible! Let me kiss you, please!_

Suddenly I wonder what Daru, sitting a few away from me, would have to say about these thoughts. Wanting to place Kurisu's body next to mine in some very… specific… positions.

I sigh again, crushing the desire in my heart and body deep down into my gut.

 _You're being greedy. Just don't screw up your first date. Focus on… that… for now…_

But I dream about Kurisu anyway, in a way that I've never dreamed about her before. There's no fear, no guilt or horror. Only a soft, distant ache.

* * *

Lukewarm water rushes down my back, carrying a wash of soap suds with it. I turn around to catch the stream on my forehead, careful not to rub my butt on the walls of the tiny, triangular shower.

It's not the most comfortable set up, but I woke up feeling greasy this morning. Well, afternoon. Daru on some kind of ill-defined mission with Mayuri, leaving me bored. My girlfriend hasn't contacted me at all since yesterday, but it's equally true that I haven't messaged her.

So, in my anxiety, I decided to take a shower.

 _I miss that clean, citrusy smell in Kurisu's hotel shower… this one smells like mildew…_

I sigh, and suddenly… it's like I can hear her voice. It's like she's right outside…

 _Oh **shit!**_

Over the roar of the water I can just make out my name being spoken in Kurisu's voice. I quickly switch the water off with a squeak, heart pounding.

 _Why the the hell isn't Daru back yet? And why was the door unlocked?!_

The problem is, of course, that there's no room to change IN the shower. The only place you can really make that happen, for a person of my size, is in the bathroom or, preferably, the lab. Where Kurisu is.

And, of course, my clothes along with my towel happen to be sitting in a pile, just out of reach.

"Hello?" Kurisu's voice rings out again. "Anybody home?"

I hear her walk right past me while I huddle naked in the shower stall. The swish of the curtain in front of the development room tells me where she is, but she'll find that room is empty in a hurry.

My body is starting to shiver now, still dripping wet. I wish she'd just go away, but the only way to prevent her from…

"Hmmm…"

I gasp a little as Kurisu peeps into the bathroom, and it's then that I realize the shower curtain is pushed a bit to the side, and that she might be able to see some of me if…

I can't squeeze over anymore. I grab the edge of the curtain and call out…

"Wait!"

It's too late.

I meet her gaze for a brief, heated moment before I can yank the curtain back over myself.

"Ehhhhgghh!"

In unison we both give wordless howls of dismay.

"Okabe!" she sequels. "W-why…"

My entire body is on fire with embarrassment. I hold the curtain, which now seems rather slight, as the only shield between my naked body and Kurisu. I have no idea what she's doing, but I can only hope she's averting her virgin eyes.

"J-just…" I gasp, as if I'm out of breath. "Leave so I can change! Get out of here, you perverted woman!"

"Oh my god!" Kurisu replies, and I can hear she's stepped out of the bathroom. "I'm leaving! Why didn't you sat anything before this happened!? You're the pervert!"

 _Because I was terrified?_

Before I can reply, I hear the door to the lab slam. I give a massive sigh of relief, and, quivering a little, step out of the shower to get dressed.

I try to take my time, but I can hardly get the quiver out of my hands to dress myself.

 _Is this karmic? For that one time I burst in on her and Mayuri… no, that was different! I was worried about their safety!_

Despite the heat of self-conscious anger boiling under my skin, I can't really blame Kurisu. She didn't go looking for…

I place a hand on my thin, bony chest as I pull my shirt over my torso.

 _…for this._

I recall that one time, on another worldline and in the rain, where we criticized each other's bodies. It was all in jest, but… I feel vaguely ill at the thought of facing Kurisu again.

 _She's not interested in me because of my looks… she's a scientist. She doesn't judge by appearances._

 _But she's still human. She does **perceive** appearances…_

I almost answer the door without grabbing my lab coat, but at the last second I remember to put it on. Its weight makes me feel more confident.

I clear my throat and open the door.

Kurisu is there; arms crossed, face flushed scarlet. We can't look each other in the eyes now, and neither of us know what to say.

"Ahem." I say, keeping my voice deep as I swing my arm open to welcome Kurisu into the room. "Welcome back to the lab, assistant."

Kurisu brushes me aside and enters. She makes a beeline for the couch, where she curls up and hides her face with Muyuri's Upa coushin. I feel like apologizing, but at the same time, I didn't do a single thing wrong.

"Okabe, I…" she begins to speak after a long pause. But before she can finish a familiar greeting interrupts her.

"Tuturu~! It's Mayushi!" Mayuri crowds into the room with Daru behind her. It seems Daru brought her home with him.

Kurisu's stares at me for a mortified second, and then she greets Mayuri and Daru normally.

"Mayuri was shopping with Daru for nice new dating clothes!" Mayuri announces happily, but Daru looks crushed.

"It didn't go well…" Daru mutters.

Mayuri turns her attention to me, smiling. "Okabe, you should come next time! You should look your best for Chris chan!"

I'm so frustrated by missing what Kurisu had to say that I'm thrown off balance and can't form a reply.

"Kurisu, we have to go shopping next, remember!" Mayuri gives a tiny bounce of excitement. "Thanks for waiting for me!"

"Okay." Kurisu sounds a bit exhausted, but she stands up. "I really shouldn't have shown up so… early." She shoots me a dangerous glare. "I'll head straight downtown next time."

But there's something distracted about it. Kurisu seems... off.

 _Why did I have to shower at that exact time!?_

I want to call out to her, to ask her what's wrong, and if what she just saw was really that awful, but she's allowed herself to be carried off by Mayuri again. They're talking about where they want to shop, and how long it takes to reach Harajuku…

And then they're gone.

* * *

The day then passes slowly in a warm, sticky haze.

I mess around with my current future gadget, which is of course a secret to all but me and Daru, but I also try to read that same summer reading article yet again.

Daru and I converse about our upcoming date in short bursts, glimpsing each other's anxieties. Daru is upset about his weight in a way I've never seen before, frustrated with the lack of "big n' tall" clothing for sale in Japan. Time passes slowly, like it always does during the summer months.

It's still daytime when Mayuri alone opens the door and walks in.

I can tell immediately that something is wrong. Her shoulders are slumping, and I don't see heaps of shopping bags like I expected.

"Mayuri?" I ask anxiously. "What's going on?"

 _And where's Kurisu?_

Mayrui shakes her head, curly hair bobbing. "Mayushi is sad…" Her lip trembles.

"What is it?!" I ask, voice rising with tension. I hate to see her like this.

Mayrui turns her round, teary eyes to me. "Chris chan said…" Mayuri shrinks away, crushing down tears. "She said she can't go on the date anymore. She… she said something came up in America…"

I almost gasp in horror.

 _Why didn't she tell me!? Is that what she was gonna say this afternoon?_

"Chris chan said she has to go home early tomorrow now." Mayuri sniffs. "She was really upset..."

My heart is racing now. Daru is watching all this in muted terror. Our double date is meant to take place in only a few hours. This puts him in jeopardy as well.

"What do you mean?" I beg. "What happened in America?"

Mayuri sniffs and shakes her head. "I don't know. She wouldn't tell me."

I grab Mayuri by the shoulders and hold her close.

"I'll find Kurisu and talk to her." I say firmly. "Don't worry."

I wonder about how quickly Mayuri accepted Kurisu as my partner. I've known Mayuri a long, long time. I know if Mayuri ever dated someone, I'd feel more than a little defensive. But here she is, crying for the sake of Kurisu and I.

 _Mayuri…_

"Mmmm…" Mayuri sniffs, letting me hug her. When she looks at me again, I see fresh determination in her eyes. "You have to go to her, Okarin!"

I nod.

 _Wait…_

"Mayuri, uh, where _is_ Kurisu?"

Mayuri shakes her head again. "I'm not sure. She said she was going home, but…"

 _Home where? Which home? Her hotel or... America?_

I pull my phone out of my pocket and put it up to my head.

"Yes?! You have no more information on the location? The GPS is down?! Hmmm…" I growl softly, closing my eyes in a dramatic moment. "I won't fail you! I will locate the target successfully, on foot if I have to! El, Psy, Kongroo!"

With that, I turn and bolt out the door, lab coat billowing behind me.


	4. Chapter 4

Akiabra's dusk is muggy and empty. Long shadows cut the pavement into jagged segments.

I race down those broken streets, just like before. Just like all those other times I was running around, desperate not to lose someone.

To: Assistant.

Subject: Where are you?

Just spoke with Muyuri. Let's talk, okay?

My texts and calls, bordering on frantic, go unanswered.

I'm pacing in front of her hotel, phone to my ear as I make yet another call. It rings and rings, but no one picks up. I've been loitering here for about 30 minutes at this point, hoping I could catch Kurisu coming or going.

"Hey, you." I jump as a rough voice interrupts me. "You waiting for somebody?"

It's some kind of security detail that must work for the hotel. I grit my teeth in annoyance; I haven't got the energy to spare for this.

 _Wait… maybe I could ask to go in and see Kurisu… I know her name and room number…_

But the guy is approaching me fast, and he's not friendly. I endure sudden flashbacks of menacing men, in all black or cameo or maybe pedestrian clothing, guns drawn as they surround Mayrui and I, stalking us with murderous intent...

I wave my hand at the man and hustle away.

 _I can't deal with this right now. There must be other places to check… hmmm…_

I pace down alleyways until I find the tiny coin laundry where Kurisu and I used to spend time. We'd had some intense conversations here, since it's relatively private most hours of the day.

 _She's always like that. She can only talk about how she really feels when she's alone._

I sigh as I peer into the darkened interior, the scents of detergent hitting my nose. The place is clearly empty.

 _Maybe I should check out the May Queen. I doubt Kurisu would go to a maid café alone... but it's a place she's visited before..._

As I approach the colorful entrance, I can see that the cafe is closing down. I work my way past some of the other maids, searching for Faris pink head.

"Faris!" I say, setting a hand on her shoulder as I catch her headed to the back room.

"Nayh!" Faris jumps back, nearly scattering a tray of half eaten pastries all over the floor. Her surprise fades as she sees who I am, and then she glares at me.

"You're lucky I have such incredible feline reflexes!" she snaps, but her face shifts as she makes eye contact with me. "What is it, Kyouma? What brings you here?"

I give a small bow. "Sorry," I say, "... but have you seen my assistant... I mean, Kurisu, anytime today?"

Faris eyes light up at this. "I've never seen here expect once with you and Daru... Why do you ask, nyah...?"

At the sound of that questioning purr I know I've got to get away from her.

"Nothing important!" I lie. "Thanks, Faris!"

I hustle away from the cafe, starting to sweat a little.

 _That was close. But where else can I check...?_

Then I remember that old noodle place that we used to go.

 _Of course! Kurisu preferred that musty old place to Faris cafe..._

A purple sunset is slowly turning to blue, and soon it will be black. As soon as I turn into the corner where the cafe is, I know I'm out of luck. The signs are all off, and the interior is dark.

 _Am I running out of time?_

Panic had driven my search so plainly that I hadn't even stopped to consider what was happening.

 _Did Daru go on the date without us, I wonder? He sure won't stop texting me... but this isn't my fault._

I clench my fists. Deep down, underneath my panic, is pain. I don't understand why Kurisu is acting like this.

 _She clearly wants to be my partner, right? She said yes! She gave that awesome speech about the future… did she change her mind? Why isn't she communicating with me?_

Something occurs to me. What if she goes back to America without ever seeing me again?

 _What if she never even says goodbye?_

That old feeling comes welling up. The resignation. Being satisfied with Kurisu just being alive, and nothing more. It pours out like water from a backed up drain, spreading a chill across my chest.

I don't need to be present. I belong only to the past, to memories. It doesn't matter if she's with me or not. I'm not important anyway, in the precious Steins;Gate timeline I worked so hard to find.

"No way…" I say aloud, to one in particular. It hurts to feel like this now, and I'm struggling to accept it again.

I stand up and begin pacing down the street. There's one more place I can check out, although I'm not very hopeful at this point.

I check my phone again... and again. Daru has called me a few times, but he's on his own for now.

At this point, I'm basically just ambling down the street in a haze, but eventually I approach the public park I've been looking for.

It is cold and empty.

I sigh, waling into the park and and squeezing myself into one of the swing sets. I hang there, giving myself a much needed break. I notice just how my feet hurt from pounding so much pavement, and when I take in a breath I feel a pinch from the scar on my side.

 _This sucks so much._

Stars are just starting to creep into the open. They shine down, cold and uncaring. A cool breeze is coming from somewhere, and I wonder if it's going to rain again.

 _I hope it does. Then I can really embrace how I feel. Sitting on a swing in an empty park, the rain crashing down, hiding my tears… and to think, at one point I would thought such a scene was impossibly dramatic and cool!_

I give the sand a halfhearted kick. It doesn't make me feel any better.

Suddenly I hear the clack of shoes nearby. Absentminded, I look up.

A woman is approaching the park, strand of long hair swung over one shoulder. She carries herself confidently, but doesn't even seem to notice me as she goes to sit on the bottom of the slide. She sighs deeply, hanging her head.

The cold sensation in my chest freezes to ice and then shatters spectacularly.

"Kurisu!?"

"Ahhh?" Kurisu seems startled, leaping and clutching her chest. "Okabe? H-how?"

I rush over, but stop short of embracing her.

"I was looking everywhere for you!" I blurt. "You wouldn't answer my calls!"

"Oh…" she says, ignoring my excitement. "I had turned off my phone."

"Why?" I answer. "What's wrong? Mayuri said…"

Kurisu shakes her head. "Something… something came up in America. I…"

"Then tell me about it!" I wail. "Don't run away like this!"

"I..." Kurisu shakes her head, and suddenly goes to sit on one of the swings.

I follow and in the swing sit next to her, waiting for her to explain herself. We sit for a moment as she gathers herself, each second more agonizing than the last until she finally begins to speak.

"Listen, Okabe..." she says, "There's an important project going on at my university right now... it's an advanced artificial intelligence project."

She sighs again.

"They're on the verge of a breakthrough right now. The project was stalling for a long time; years, actually, but I got a call from Maho about it late last night… they want me to come home early. They really want my help with it. It's probably going to be a big deal, career defining. But…"

She focuses on the ground, but I can see that her eyes are clouded with indecision.

Her voice falls into a whisper. "I… I was going to spend an extra week here. I was about to change my departure date just before I got that call."

Her words are so frustrating that I feel like my gut is twisting into knots.

"Well…" I say, voice catching in my throat. "I told you not to let me hold you back, right…"

The words taste like dust in my mouth.

 _I'm so glad you wanted to stay here with me! I can't believe it!_

"Shut up!" Kurisu snaps, just like before. "I…"

"It's not even a difficult decision." She continues, voice surprisingly calm. "Rationally, it's obvious. It's not even really a _choice_. But then…"

I see now that she tears are welling up in her eyes as she forces them shut.

"Why do I feel like I'm being torn in two?"

I can feel my own eyes starting to tear up, seeing her like this. All my anger and confusion are swept away.

She swings over to me, a bit awkwardly, and grabs unto the chain on my swing. I grab hers right back, and now we hang suspended in air. Her face is close to mine.

"I miss you already." She breathes, closing her eyes.

I don't know what to say. I'm just enjoying being close to her.

"Hey..." she whispers. "Okabe... could you..."

She leans even closer, and finishes her request.

"...kiss me…"

Underneath those cold, uncaring stars, we share in each other's warmth for a moment. The real stars are in my head, exploding into life at Kurisu's touch.

We press our lips together and wait, suspended. This night, it could last forever. How I wish it would.

Then she lets go, swinging back. But the momentum causes us to crash together again, and I grab the chain of her swing again, pulling her into my stronger backwards swing. She gives a delighted gasp, and we reach equilibrium again.

 _We're meeting each other halfway…_

And then it hits me.

"Kurisu!" I cry, having one hell of a eureka moment. I leap off the swing, which causes Kurisu to lurch backwards… and fall off the swing and into the dirt.

"Shit!" I blurt, hearing a thud as her back lands hard in the playground sand. "Sorry!"

I rush over, placing my hands underneath her back as I try to help her up. She swats at me angrily, brushing dirt out of her long hair.

"Okabe!" she snarls, face red with embarrassment. "What the hell?"

She refuses my hand and stands up on her own, clearly annoyed.

 _But I can't let my inspiration escape me now!_

"Listen…" I say, hear racing. "How about I go to America WITH you?"

Kurisu's face contorts. "Not… not possible…"

"Why not?" I say. "I can tell my parents I'm interested in the exchange program… I have a little bit of money saved up, and if I can get Daru to pay rent for this month, and stay at your place in America, I can…"

Kurisu crosses her arms. "You ridiculous! I know for a fact your English is terrible. You could never get into Victor chondria University…"

I stand up, crossing my arms to match her defiant pose. "Who says? I certainly have a most powerful motivation! Give me a chance to learn!"

Delighted, I pull her hands out of their knot and hold them in mine.

"Give me a chance to try, you perverted genus girl!"

Kurisu's hardened expression fades into laughter. She presses her body into mine, staring definitely up at me.

"Fine then, Mr. Hououin Kyouma." She taunts. "Prove to me you can do it." Her smile is a challenge. "I'm not leaving tomorrow either way. It's rude of them to rush me like that. But… if you can get a ticket for America by Monday…"

 _It's Friday night right now... that's barely three days away. But hell, no problem. I can do it!_

"You dare to doubt me, assistant?" I answer. I hold her hands in mine and press them to her chest. I can feel her heart beat going steady beneath them. "You dare to doubt the legendary Hououin Kyouma, the man who rises from the ashes every time?! A scientist of legendary proportions!? The man who challenged time itself and WON?!"

My voice is loud and boisterous, but only Kurisu can hear me.

She pushes her hands back towards me, firmly holding both of our hands to my chest.

"Let's see it then."

There is joy in her voice.

 _And it's all true! This is nothing compared to what I've already gone through for her._

Our bodies are so close now that our hands, tangled together, are trapped between us. Kurisu is smiling up at me, and I kind of want to kiss her again.

But before I can she breaks away.

"I didn't expect this." She says, but her voice isn't so sad anymore. "Anyway... for now…" she shakes her head and gives one final sigh. "...let's just go back to the hotel."

"Oh!" I cry, letting the words flow out before I can stop them. "Can I walk you home, at least?"

She turns back to me, still smiling. "I said "lets," right? You can at LEAST walk me to the door."

 _Whoa... she DID say "lets!" Maybe I COULD have asked to come over the other night..._

I smile back at her, feeling elated. "And up the elevator and into your room too, right?"

She nods. "You know what? Maybe." She pulls a hand through her hair, suddenly looking downcast again. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

I shake my head, wishing I could embrace her again. "It's okay. Daru's the one who'll still be angry about it, probably."

Kurisu gasps. "Oh, the date!" She covers her mouth and mutters, "Shit... I forgot all about that..."

"Let's worry about that tomorrow, okay?" I say, not wanting to think about that cursed date anymore.

"Alright." Kurisu replies, starting a steady pace down the sidewalk. "But..." Her eyes flash in the half-light of the night. "You still owe me a legitimate date!"


	5. Chapter 5

We take the elevator and, once again, I find myself in Kurisu's hotel room. It's clean as it was before, with that big king sized bed in the middle facing the LCD TV.

Kurisu sighs stands in front of the TV, which was on at a low volume when we walked in.

To: Mayuri

Subject: Target Acquired 

I located the Target. And don't worry… I have a plan to solve this issue of her being called back to America. Do not despair! I ask you to trust me once again.

To: Daru

Subject: Target Acquired (sorry lol)

I've located the Target. I hope you succeeded in your mission even in my absence. 

Satisfied with these replies, I send them off to my friends.

"Anyway…" Kurisu is saying. "… if you want, you can totally stay the night here while I'm in this hotel." Her voice is surprisingly even. "It nicer than that tiny little couch in that hot lab."

"Oh, yes, assistant I will take you up on that." I answer happily, and for a moment we stand in an awkward silence.

I let myself get distracted by the images on screen. "Oh hey, this is a really good old monster movie!"

"Oh?" Kurisu is clearly feigning interest. "Oh you're right, this one of those Kaiju movies that are so popular in Japan."

"Popular in America too." I retort. "Yeah, let's just… watch this before we go to bed, or whatever."

I'm relieved. The movie's given us something to focus on. I feel pretty smooth about it, actually.

Kurisu sits down to lean on the bed and look up at the TV, and I join her a few inches away. She still steals glances at me out of the corner of her eye as the movie drones on, and I'm not sure what she wants from me.

 _Movies… well, this will be better than what we were meant to watch today. Huh… movies with a girl… I thought this was supposed to have happened already! I haven't had a chance to practice… hmmm… there's no popcorn bowl so our hands can accidentally touch…_

I shift my weight, wondering what to do. How to make her happy. To make new memories with her. To share our lives together…

My mind is awash in serious thoughts. I need to ask my parents as soon as possible about this America thing… and Daru…

Kurisu's laugh startles me out of my stouper. "Wow, this is really silly. Is that a dude in a suit?"

"It's a woman, actually." I reply, surprised to recall such a random fact. "The cities are all miniatures, so the suit is actually relatively small…"

"That's kind of impressive." Kurisu says, and then turns her concerned eyes one me.

"Okabe, are you okay? You can just go home if you want. Y-you don't have to be here, with me. I just thought-"

"No!" I answer quickly.

"Sorry. I…" She gives a sad smile. "You spent the last two nights here, and… last night..." She wraps her arms around her knees, hiding her face. "… I was all by myself, and everything felt bigger and emptier than before."

"You were lonely." I say, dumbfounded.

Kurisu shrinks away. "N-no! I…"

She turns away, hiding her face. Her voice is high and stressed. "That night… was… nice. Really nice! I…" She glances up at me for a moment, then hides her eyes again.

 _Oh wow! So she DID want me to call and ask to come over! She craves those romance chemicals just as I do..._

"I apologize." I sigh. "I'm… new at this kind of thing."

Kurisu, to my surprise, laughs. "Back there, after I kissed you, you seemed much more confident. You need to keep that up…"

She slides across the floor to be closer to me.

"You really are adorable, Okabe Rintaro." She whispers, although I can barely hear her.

 _Adorable?!_

That shocks me so much I can't even reply.

"If you really are a mad scientist…" she leans in, face close to mine. "Act like one."

I close my eyes, suddenly feeling light. "Kurisu…" I say slowly. "Am I really…" I wince internally. "…adorable?"

"Yes." She breathes, and then kisses me on the lips, sending a pleasant jolt through my whole body.

She soon pulls away, much too soon, and suddenly becomes shy by blushing and turning away. But her words don't match her actions.

"So, mad scientist boyfriend… I'd like you to run a test where you hold me close while we watch this dumb movie." She smiles. "See if you can find a way to keep me awake."

I feel the tension drain away from my limbs. I want to ask _"Hey, when you saw a bit of my naked body, did you think was adorable too?"_

But of course I don't.

"Hey… uhh… about this afternoon…" I begin, feeling awkward. "Umm… sorry about that."

Kurisu leans away a bit. "Why?" she says. "It was more my fault than anything else."

I gasp. "So you admit it! You ARE a pervert!"

She bumps into my shoulder, glaring purposefully. "Only on accident."

I really am dying to ask her what she thought of… me.

"Uh… so…"

"Oh, come ON." Kurisu leans close again. "Don't be so insecure…"

She places a hand on my chest, and runs her fingers over my shoulder and down my arm by sneaking her hand under my lab coat.

My heart is pounding wildly. My eyes drink in the contours on her face, her arms, her chest…

Kurisu seems to sense this intensity and backs off. She's embarrassed now, which makes me frustrated. But now that her back is turned to me, and not those fiery blue eyes, I am emboldened.

"You..." I begin, leaning forward and grabbing her by the waist and pulling her towards me.

She gives a surprised gasp. "Okabe…!"

I kiss her on the neck and pull her body close to mine so she can hear what I want to say.

"You're adorable too, Makise Kurisu."

"Am I?" She says, almost absentmindedly. "Oh my god… your hands are so big…" She weaves her much smaller fingers in-between mine, admiring them. "Men have such rough hands…"

Frankly, I never thought much about my hands. But now I'm delighted to have them complimented.

 _Hehe… Daru has every right to be jealous. So she DOES appreciate me beyond just intellect?_

"Well…" I answer. "You're hands are tiny… and delicate… and uh… very… adorable..."

I'm rambling, but Kurisu doesn't seem to mind. She's relaxed, leaning into my chest.

Now instead of my insides being twisted up, my body is twisted up with hers, and I feel content again. We enjoy the movie now, occasionally muttering back and forth to each other about how ridiculous it is. At some point, both of us get up and get changed and ready for bed. But we return to the same spot.

I remove my lab coat, but I'm not brave enough to take off my pants and sit around in my boxers. Not yet, at least. Kurisu puts on that long pink night shirt again, and I can feel a lot more of her body beneath it than when she had her coat on.

Eventually, the film ends, and we continue to lean against the bed and enjoy each other's warmth to the tune of late night infomercials.

"Hey…" Kuirsu says eventually, a change in her soft tone. "What do you think about Daru and that girl he likes? Yu- Yuki, that's her name, right?"

"Yeah." I reply, suppressing a yawn. "What about her?"

"Well…" Kurisu twists her head to look at me while she's speaking. "Daru didn't seem very confident about her. As a matter of fact, he's a wreck. I almost felt bad for him. Almost."

I murmur in full agreement. "I'm not sure if you can fix something that isn't even broken yet."

Kurisu considers this. "Hmmm… maybe we can help them build it, then. Anyway… let's go to bed. We can shower in the morning."

 _Mmm… shower…_

I lean up, and the two of us start to untangle.

"I'll try," I reply, wanting to be strong for Kurisu, even in this way. "It's…" I sigh. "I think it'll work out in the end regardless. I hope."

Kurisu tilts her head. "What makes you think that? It seems a bit hopeless to me."

I don't want to tell her about Suzuha and all that, so I just shrug. "It's just a sense I have."

Kurisu narrows her eyes, and I know she's caught a hint of a lie in my voice. But she doesn't press me.

Kurisu gets under the blankets and reaches up for the light switch, and the room is plunged into darkness before I can get into the bed.

"Hey, I can't see!" I whine.

"You're sleeping on the floor, remember?" Kurisu's voice sounds from the darkness.

 _No… no…! How can this be?!_

"What?" I yelp, "Are you serious?" I'm actually feeling genuine anger. "You invite me here and then-"

Warm laughter follows my indignation. "Would you have really done that if I told you? You can sleep in the bed if you want. Just crawl in, I'm not blinding myself with the light now."

I grunt in surprise. She really caught me off guard that time, but I'll get her back.

I grope about the darkness, half on the bed, when my right hand grabs something warm and soft…

"EKK!" Kurisu yelps. "Watch it!"

I give a low laugh. "Serves you right, Christina…"

"There's no "tina."She snaps, but I can hear the mirth in her voice. "And that's my knee, pervert."

"Oh?" I say, raising my voice, and continuing to blindly feel around with my hands. "Where's the good stuff then, I wonder…"

"Okabe!" she scolds. "Here…"

I feel her hands wrap around my wrist in the darkness and guide me forward. Kurisu lifts the blanket up, smacking me in the face with it and then patting the bed.

"Here. This is your side."

At this point my eyes are adjusting to the half-light coming from underneath the door. I push my legs beneath the blanket and settle in. The air-conditioning is making the room pretty cold, so it'll be chilly under the blankets until our body heat warms it up.

As I lie down and face Kurisu's back, my hand lands on her silky hair. I'm wondering if she can feel it when she suddenly scoots closer to me as she adjusts her position. She's close enough that I could reach out and cuddle her if I wanted to…

 _"You've got guts, you know that Okarin?"_

Daru's encouraging words echo in my head. But…

"Hey… uhh… Kurisu…" I say softly.

"Mhhh?" Kuirsu answers, and suspiciously moves even closer to me.

"Can I… you mind if I… touch your shoulders…"

 _Smooth…_

"Yeah." She answers sleepily. "I like it. Also, it's cold."

 _Ohhh, yes! I am smooth!_

I wrap my arms around her shoulders and pull her close. She wraps her hands around mine and holds them close to her chest.

 _She's so close… she's right here… she's alive. I'm so glad for everything, so glad I could find my way here, to this, away from that looped nightmare…_

"Hey…" she says. "Your pulse is racing…"

My pulse races even harder as she places a tiny kiss on my fingers. "Calm down, okay? I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. And… it seems like if I do, you'll follow me. That's just the kind of man I'm dealing with."

I'm kind of surprised by it, but silent tears are streaking down my face. It feels good to cry this time. Because this is only way I can express how I'm feeling. And here, in the darkness, no one can see my weakness, but I can share in my partner's strength.

And suddenly I realize, listening to Kurisu's steady and breathing and feeling the caress of her fingers on mine, I realize what this feeling is. This warm sense of being present.

I'm finally starting to heal.


	6. Chapter 6

Once again, I can't even remember any hint of the dreams I must have been having all night when I start to wake up. The sensations of the hotel room- the bright window, the clean sheets, the scent of Kurisu's conditioner… it all feels almost familiar as I open my eyes to face another day in Steins;Gate.

But something is missing.

I sit up, pawing at the other side of the bed where the weight of Kurisu's body should be. My heart leaps into my throat.

 _Calm down. She might just be in the bathroom like before._

"Kurisu?" I call, trying to keep my voice even. "Hello?"

I leap up and creep into the bathroom, pushing the door half open with a creak.

She's not there.

I turn around and case the apartment, but a quick glance reveals that no other people are in this place with me.

I'm alone.

I suppress a whimper. A second ago I was half asleep, but now I'm painfully awake. Fumbling about the room, I yank my phone out of the wall and immediately search for Kurisu's contact.

Assistant. There it is. She's still…

 _Still what? Did you think she would disappear?_

 _Maybe. Maybe I did think that._

I'm starting to feel that familiar sense of dread, the loss of control, the helplessness…

I call her.

The dial tone goes off and the phone rings, and…

I gasp.

A vibrating sound is coming from the bed, and I approach it as if it's come alive and wants to attack me. I snatch up Kurisu's phone and cancel my own call.

My world is swimming now, and I feel outright nauseous.

 _What is this? It doesn't seem like anyone broke into this room… but where would she have gone?_

This is worse than the night before. Then, I had at least know that Kurisu was alive and probably well. But now…

Without thinking to even comb my hair, I burst out of the hotel room and into the hall in just my boxers and a crinkled T-shirt.

Just as I'm about to bolt down the hall, someone rounds the corner.

It's Kurisu.

She's holding a few pieces of fruit and a croissant in her hands, and seems preoccupied with keeping it all from falling on the floor.

"Kurisu!" I howl.

My bare feet pound the floor as I race down the hall to meet her. I'm running faster than I think I've ever run before.

"Huh?" Kurisu looks up too late.

I crash into her, wrapping my arms around her and burying my head into her shoulder. I almost lift her up off the ground.

"Okabe!" she squeaks. "Let go!"

I hold her for just a moment longer, and then step back, making sure I can see that she's alright.

I realize then that she's dropped her entire cache all over the hotel hallway. Apples are rolling away with haste.

Before I can say anything, a business man scots past us and into his own room, and I can see that his eyes are wide with curiosity.

"Look what you did!" Kurisu is saying, not even looking at me before leaning down to grab all the food off the floor. "Now we can't even eat this!"

I feel a heat creep across my neck and into my temples. The world has stopped spinning, but the whiplash is giving me a hearty case of embarrassment.

"Sorry!" I cry, leaning down to help her gather what she dropped. "I…"

I want to explain myself, but Kurisu pushes past me and vanishes into our room. I hurry after her, biting my lip.

She dumps the food unto a small empty table and lands in the chair next to it, crossing her arms.

"Honestly!" she huffs. "I just went to get some of the free breakfast before they closed it. I didn't think you'd wake up this early."

Even my ears are burning with embarrassment now. "I woke up and you weren't here!" I blurted. "You even left your phone!"

I hold up her phone, which has been cutting into my hand ever since I picked it up.

Her eyes flash and she snaps, "I was gone for like ten minutes."

Now she's glaring at me, but I can't repay her anger. I can imagine how I must look; disheveled and wide eyed, almost on the verge of tears. Over _nothing_. No wonder she looks frustrated.

 _I thought I was getting better… I thought I would stop having flashbacks… but then I go and have a set back the very next day!_

Kurisu then she takes a deep breath and leans back into her chair. "I guess I should have left you a message. But come on, Okabe, I'm not your babysitter! Or your mom!"

I nod. "You're right. This is my problem. I'm… really sorry." I hang my head and avoid her gaze.

"Huh." She chirps. "You hardly ever say that." I cannot tell if she's being sarcastic or not. "Just…"

Kurisu's demeanor relaxes as she continues to speak. "You need to stop doing this, Okabe. I'm here now, okay? Everything is going to be alright. That's what I said before, and I'll keep saying it until you understand. Got it?"

 _I'm so pathetic! From an outsider's perspective, that was a really clingy, overprotective thing to do… but my situation just isn't normal! It's unfair of me to expect Kurisu to deal with this..._

I sink down until I'm on leaning on the floor. "You're too kind, Makise san."

Kurisu stifles a laugh, and I lean up just in time to see her lifting up one of the runaway apples.

"I was gonna surprise you with fresh breakfast when you woke up."

She sighs and takes a bite, eyes narrowed in my direction. Suddenly I realize she's eying my boxers, which makes sense because I had shaken off my pants during the night when it got hot under the blankets.

 _This is… the first time she's seeing me in my underwear…_

I want to vanish into the floor and disappear forever.

Kurisu just sighs, taking another bite of her apple. "Oh well. I knew what I was getting into."

* * *

"You DIDN'T GO?"

The waitress angrily shushes me as my voice rises to fill the whole noodle shop. Daru slams his fist on the table, making his Miso wobble.

"No!" He cries. "It was supposed to be a DOUBLE DATE! I was gonna have back up! But you bailed!"

I give a wordless grumble of dismay and lower my voice. "I did not bail. My assistant had a crisis that needed tending too. I am guiltless, Daru, you have to admit that…"

Daru crosses his arms and huffs like a huge child. "No you're not, Okarin! I knew you'd do this!"

 _Where the hell is he going with this?_

"You choose your girlfriend over me! You put your hoe…"

"Daru." I am flabbergasted. He's completely infantilizing this whole situation using garbage he picked up from achannal boards. "Daru, please don't…."

"… before your bro!

I stand up and point an angry finger at him. "That is a LIE!" I yell. "You just didn't have the balls to go take Yuki to the movie without my help! YOU'RE the one that YOU'RE mad at!"

"Alright!" It's the voice of that cranky waitress. "You two, get out of here. Now."

I bite my lip, still glaring at Daru. Wordlessly, we gather our food and hustle out of the shop. This is not the first time we've been kicked out of this place. I pull out my phone and talk to it. "This situation is dire." I say darkly. "But the dark always comes before the dawn. I'll do what I have to. El, Psy, Kongroo..."

Fact is, I need Daru's help to get enough money for that plane ticket on Monday.

My parents were easy. Over the phone, at least, they seemed overjoyed that I'm both interested in a prestigious exchange program AND have a girlfriend.

"I'm so happy you're gonna be doing more with your summer!" My father had said.

But even so, they just won't be able to contribute very much. My family runs a small time grocery store. They aren't exactly loaded. I need Daru to cover my rent for the next month, period.

 _But Daru won't be receptive to helping me right now…_

Daru is sitting on the stoop, lapping up the rest of his noodles. I've never seen anyone eat soup with such resentment.

"Whatta you want me to do, Daru?" I say. "I'll still be here tonight…"

 _One night to convince you to fork up some cold, hard cash…_

"Huh?" Daru looks up from what remains of his soup. "What do you mean by that?"

 _SHIT._

"Oh, uh, I…" I swallow. "I was hoping…"

It's happening too fast. The words tumble out, just like when I revealed Kurisu and I's relationship to him.

"…I was hoping to go to America with Kurisu for a while, so…"

Daru drops his chopsticks on the floor. "Are you KIDDING? You're ABANDONING me?"

 _Oh, don't be such a drama queen…_

I put a hand to my forehead. "Daru, I'll only be gone for like four weeks at the most. I'm not MOVING to America."

"But you might!" He snaps. "You'll… you'll MARRY Makise and leave me here, forever alone in that hot, cramped little lab… you'll learn English and speak with a weird accent!"

"Kurisu doesn't have an accent at all!" I retort. "Besides, I can do what I want with my life."

 _But for now, I need a new date idea…_

Something occurs to me, over Daru's fuming.

"Hey, do you still have those movie tickets?" I ask.

"Huh?" Daru was interrupted. "Uh…" He fumbles around in his pocket, producing handfuls of lint and finally some crumbled movie tickets. "I do."

"Let me see them." I grab the tickets out of Daru's hands, reading the fine print.

"I knew it." I say. "They don't expire until next month."

Daru is looking at me with wide, empty fish eyes.

"Wait…" He begins. "You don't mean…"

I stand up, getting loud again. "I DO mean it!" I toss the tickets back at him, but they catch in the air and flutter back down to my own feet. Even so, I continue speaking.

"Daru, we're gonna get our double movie date after all!"

* * *

We arrive, on time, to the theater. Evening has not quite fallen, and the sky is still a shock of blue over the angular shapes of the city. Pedestrian traffic is slowing down already. So far, things are going according to plan. Kurisu claimed to have known about the ticket expiration date all along, but she vanished with Mayuri and Yuki not soon after I got a confirmation for tonight.

"Why is this cartoon showing so late?"

The voice belongs to Daru, and he is complaining. He has not stopped complaining since we started salvaging our lost date. That's all he is. A complaint.

Daru continues. "The theater is gonna be empty, no kids will out this late…"

"Isn't that a GOOD thing?" I retort. I get that he's just expressing his anxiety, but all the whining is just making me more nervous. "No screaming kids."

Daru huffs. "No way, man! That means more attention on us! More pressure to _preform_." He spits out the last word like an insult.

I click my tongue. "You're just gonna have to get over it, man. C'mon, this is… it's a low level type of date, right? The easiest route to unlock. You just sit there in the dark and don't talk."

"You can't mean that." Daru whines. "There are all kinds of nuances to this thing, man! It's not the same as 2D women!"

I can't clam him down. Finally I snap.

"I'm nervous too, okay!" I clench my fists, voice rising into a yell. "But Hououin Kyouma never backs down from a challenge!"

"Okarin, sush! Alright, alright!" Daru wipes a gush of sweat from his brow. "Where are they anyway?"

I check out my phone for any new messages.

"They said she where on their way here from shopping like 5 minutes ago. Should be any minute now... Ohhh!"

I almost gasp. Kurisu and Yuki are headed our way, but something is different…

"Shit!" Daru declares, way too loud. "They dressed all nice! Ouuu!"

Daru and I are just wearing the usual. I showered and shaved before heading out, but… I figured it was just a movie. Kurisu didn't tell me anything about dressing up.

 _So THAT'S what she's been up to after she left the lab today!_

This outfit is actually much more casual than her usual clothing, with a striking white, black, and red color scheme. The layered T-shirts are a big enough surprise, but she's also wearing a skirt! It's a strikingly feminine outfit, and she'd fit right into Shibuya's fashion culture.

At least, I think so, that isn't my kind of thing.

Yuki is wearing a light, summer dress with more blue-hued tones to it. They both look great.

"Hello." Kurisu greets us politely. Almost coldly.

"Hi." I reply, trying to hide my surprise at her new appearance. "You look… different."

The words catch in my throat like starch.

 _You call that compliment?! She looks downright hot! Daru's right. Preforming like this is scary._

Kurisu gives a tiny snort. "You too." She says, not without sarcasm.

Daru is greeting Yuki with equally awkward niceties. Yuki gives him a big, patient smile, but I don't know why.

Our tickets are already paid for, so mercifully we skip the booth and head straight into the theater.

"So…" I begin as we head into the darkened theater space. "That's what secret mission you where on today. Shopping."

Kurisu gives a sigh. "That was it. I'm actually pretty exhausted… it was so much running around! I don't know how Mayuri and Yuki can do it, honestly."

"Mayuri is such a great help!" Yuki chimes in. "She knows more about clothing than anyone else I know!"

Kurisu and Yuki begin a pleasant conversation about their adventures. I fall back in line with Daru. His eyes contain the desperation of a person who's being tortured. Kurisu and Yuki are scoping out the seats together and flatly ignoring us.

The theater is, as Daru predicted, almost totally empty.

"They seem like they're having a good time." Daru growls.

"You two, over here!" Kurisu calls us over to some seats near the middle of the cavernous theater.

I scoot past many rows of seats, awkwardly moving past Kurisu to sit on her left. Yuki is already to her right…

Suddenly I realize Daru is having a hard time squeezing his body into the row of seats. He's moving as fast as he can, but it's hard to watch. Finally he forces his bulk into the seat next to Yuki, huffing and puffing. I can see that both girls are disturbed by this ordeal.

"Oh!" Daru says the moment he sits down. "I forgot snacks! Ugh… a-Anybody want anything?"

 _Seriously, Daru…?_

"Well… can you get one of those big bowls of popcorn? We can share it!" Yuki seems cheerful enough despite everything.

Daru is about to force himself up again when I stand up to put a stop to this.

"I'll go!" I announce. "Previews bore me anyway. I shall return!"

I move quickly into the light of the theater lobby.

 _I don't think Daru is going to have a good time either way… but what can **I** do?_

Soon I'm heading back into the theater, armfuls of snacks. Unable to choose, I ended up just buying extra. When we return to our seats, an ad for some 3D western movie with annoying yellow characters is playing.

I hand Daru a bag of M&M's. In his haste to open it, he spills the tiny chocolates all over himself, the floor… and Yuki.

"Ouuu… Sorry…" Daru mutters. He tries brushing the candy off of Yuki, who actually seems okay with having his clumsy hands all over her. "Sorry, Sorry…" Daru keeps saying.

I turn to see Kurisu watching, horrified. I sigh loudly and lean back in the chair, passing her an open box of Kit Kats. She takes one and bites it half, watching Daru and Yuki as if THEY were the entertainment Mayuri paid for us to see tonight.

 _This is gonna be a long night._

The movie opens in deep space with a long monologue.

"God, this is… something." Kurisu sighs, stifling a yawn.

 _Should I hold hands with her or something?_

I dig my fingers into the seat rest. Despite everything we've been through, I'm too nervous to touch her. It's too… official. Holding hands with a girl at the movies. Please. That's hardly my style.

 _But if Kurisu would like it…_

Suddenly I become aware of Daru forcing himself out of his seat.

"Bathroom." He mutters.

I look back to Kurisu, who's giving me the exact look I expected.

 _Help him out._

Guess I won't get to spend much quality time with her on our first date.


	7. Chapter 7

Daru is standing, hands on the sink, trying to wash off his sweaty face in front of a spotty mirror.

"Daru…" I begin, but he starts blubbering before I can say anything.

"I… when I was sitting down, the seat shifted and I…" He blinks, eyes hollow. "I… I touched her hand! Without asking! And… and she looked at me and I… Okarin, what do I do? I'm so nervous…"

I take a deep breath.

 _Ah yes, let me tell all about dating woman! My area of expertise, don't you know it!_

"Man, you know this is my first date too…" I begin, but at the sight of him, pathetically mopping off his face in the middle of a theater restroom with heaps of paper towels, I feel bad letting him down.

 _It's so unfair of him to rely on me in this situation… but…_

Suddenly I remember all those times, across all those timelines, when I relied on Kurisu to help me figure out how to fight the attractor field.

 _Was that unfair of me?_

 _But… every time, every single time, she came through for me. She listened to me explain it all hundreds of times, even though she had no idea what I was going through._

 _It WAS unfair. But she helped me anyway, as best she could._

"Listen, Daru." I begin once more. "You're a supa hacka. You do stuff that nobody else can. But don't you want somebody by your side to help you through all that?"

I puff out my chest and stand tall in the theater restroom.

"It's great having an assistant! Even the maddest of scientists needs help sometimes. So…"

"Don't make assumptions! She might have liked it when you touched her hand!"

Daru gives a sad smile. "And spilled chocolate all over her nice dress…"

"I bet she's one of those girls who loves clumsy, awkward guys!" I declare. "I mean if she didn't…"

"Haha." Daru says.

"You're a lab mem, right?" I reply. "I'll always wish you the best. But Daru, I can't do this for you. You've gotta have more confidence in yourself. I know it might be hard to believe that someone is interested in you, but…"

In my mind I can see Kurisu's desperate face as she learned I might disappear because of Reading Steiner. I remember that feeling of letting go of her. And how cold that felt. In the end, my guilt and fear couldn't stop me from wanting her by my side. And I'm grateful for that.

If Yuki is Daru's Kurisu, then he absolutely can't give up on her.

"… if you don't seize this moment, you will regret it."

Daru is nodding along, and finally gives a big sigh. "You're right. I'm sorry about getting so mad at you over this before. It really wasn't your fault. You were right when you said that the person I'm mad at… is me."

Suddenly one of the stalls opens, and a very confused looking man rushes past us without even washing his hands.

Daru and I exchange glances, and then burst into laughter. The moment has passed.

After that, we both feel good enough to return to the theater and complete Part Two of this cursed date.

* * *

I get back into my seat, ignoring the meaningful glances from Kurisu.

"What'd I miss?" I inquire.

She rolls her eyes. "Well, you see, the green Upa had to go back in time to prevent the hacker from destroying the virtual world…"

"Hmmm…" I make my voice serious, as if I actually cared. "Do you think he's strong enough to withstand the forces of time travel?"

Kurisu gives a snort of laughter. "That's what we're here find out, right?" She then gives a huge yawn, passing the popcorn to Daru.

Things have settled down now. As the movie drags on, Kurisu reaches out and wraps her arms around me, snuggling into the crook of my arm.

Surprised and delighted, I can't help but glance at Daru to see if he's witnessed this blatant display of affection.

I pull out my phone and text him, seeing that he's already sent me a message a while ago.

From: Daru

Subject: lol look

"LOL dude look Yuki!"

Careful not to jostle Kurisu, I lean forward and to check it out. Yuki is leaning on Daru's massive arm, her eyes closed. She's clearly fast asleep.

I nudge Kurisu, hoping to share this development with her. But she doesn't reply. I feel her weight on my arm, and hear that her breathing is steady and heavy…

To: Daru

Subject: re: lol what 

Kurisu is asleep too! Lol this is the easiest route. 

I can faintly hear the tapping of keys as Daru texts me back.

From: Daru

Subject: re: lol what

The most boring, too. I mean, it's so predictable that they're gonna fuse at the end.

Wait, what is he talking about?

To: Daru

Subject: re: lol what

You mean in the movie? Lol I haven't been watching it that closely.

Daru quickly replies.

From: Daru

Subject: re: lol look

Well who ELSE is gonna be fusing at the end, then? Fufufu…"

"Daru…" I whisper across the theater. "Shut up…"

He grins and gives me a thumbs up.

Kuirsu mutters something in her sleep, and pulls my arm into a tighter embrace. She's almost sitting in my lab now.

 _This is pretty great, actually._

Daru was right, and a fusion does occur near the films end. The visuals are flashy enough, but it's not the best animated film I've ever seen.

"Mmm…" Kurisu begins to stir just as the dramatic finale ends and the credits start rolling. She stretches, reaching her arm across me. "Where… Oh!"

She cries out in surprise as she realizes the situation she's in, and even in the flickering light of the screen I can see her blushing.

"Hahaha…" Kurisu is laughing at herself. "I feel asleep?" She rubs her eyes, smiling. "How was the movie?"

"I… I feel asleep too!" Yuki looks shocked. "We really where tired from shopping!"

"I gotta go to the restroom, Yuki!" Daru blurts, and struggles to stand up.

"Again..." I say standing up with a creak.

Kurisu and Yuki are chatting again as they get up, clearly embarrassed but a bit pleased with themselves for finding a way out of "Return to the Virtual World: Rai Net the Movie 2."

"Just so you know…" I say slowly, to no one in particular, "…the power of friendship is the strongest force in the universe. You might have missed that."

Kurisu replies, "Where's the scientific prove for that?"

I grin. "There is no proof! You must trust in your heart!" I say, paraphrasing a line from the film.

"So…" Kurisu says. "Faith then, is it?"

"Believe in me, who believes in you!" Daru yells back, holding out a fist.

"That's right!" Yuki chimes in, giving a tiny jump. "My friends are my power!"

Kurisu gives a sly smile and winks in my direction, making my heart jump.

"Is that so?" She brushes roughly past me, followed by Yuki. Daru and I shuffle out behind them.

"That could have gone a lot worse, all things considered." I whisper to him.

Daru has that look on his face that he gets when celebrating a hacking victory.

"Yeah." He agrees. "Yuki was so cute when she was sleeping… she was so small and light!"

He holds out his hands as if this is the first time he's noticed them. "It felt weird to have a 3D woman touch me for such a long period of time, on purpose…"

"It was on accident, you mean." I counter.

"Who says? I think she liked it!" Daru's eyes are shinning.

I can't believe that having his date fall asleep through the entire date is the best case scenario for Daru, but baby steps are fine right now.

* * *

We exit the theater and gather outside of the theater under a fresh night sky. We form a small circle, each one of us wondering what to do next.

"Welll…" Yuki shuffles her feet. "I should probably catch a train home before it gets too late."

Daru huffs out a sigh of... relief, probably.

"Me and Okarin can walk home, then." Daru asserts. "T-thanks for the date, Y-yuki. It was… fun."

He stumbles over his words. It's painful, but Yuki's grace catches his fall.

"Oh, it was!" Yuki gives a beaming smile. "You make a great pillow!" She leans close to him and then jumps back. It's a swift motion, but unmistakably… flirty.

Daru's face flushes red, and he's stunned into silence until Kurisu speaks up.

"Well… I'll walk Yuki to the stop, then…" Her eyes waver as she looks at me. "I'll head home too. Goodnight, Okabe."

"Uh…" I'm caught off guard.

 _For real? All that and it's just… over, like that? Not if I can help it!_

"Kurisu, Yuki, can we walk you guys home?" I say, the words leaving my throat dry.

 _I'm still nervous about this on some level…_

The girls turn to face us, and Kurisu's eyes have that fiery glow once again.

"Oh?" She begins. "Did we ask for an escort?"

I almost stumble back. "No, but… we're gentlemen, right Daru? We had to offer. Besides…"

Kurisu narrows her eyes at me and adds, " _Perverted_ gentleman."

I pin her down with my eyes and her jab. She'll regret this. "You said I could stay with you in your hotel while you're here." I declare.

Kurisu's composure collapses and she blushes. "I… when did I… huh… I guess I did…"

Yuki sequels with delight. "Aw, that's so cute! You guys get to hang out in your very own hotel room!"

Kurisu huffs. "There's nothing cute about that man being in bedroom!"

"Huh?" Yuki, poor innocent thing, seems confused. "Kurisu, I thought you LIKED Rintaro…"

Daru snorts, "She does. She's such a tsundere."

"A… what?" Yuki asks.

Kurisu is quickly trying to cover this up. "It's nothing! Don't worry about it, Yuki. And FINE, you two can walk us home if absolutely must."

But as we begin our journey to the train station, Kurisu begins to walk to next me with purpose in her step.

"So… Okabe…" She leans into my arm for a moment, "Do you have a ticket for Monday yet? We're gonna have to pack tomorrow."

 _Damn it! Leave me alone for a few seconds, woman!_

Daru and Yuki look back, listening in.

"Uh, I don't yet…" I say, "I… I need to find a way to cover the lab's rent before I can…"

Kurisu raise her eyebrows. "If you wait until the day of, the price will jump even more. And it's almost sold out already."

"Hey, Okarin." Daru slows his pace to speak with us. "You know, I can pay the rent for next month. After all, I make a LOT of money doing jobs."

He glances to Yuki, clearly hoping she's impressed.

"… and I just finished a HUGE one," he continues, "… a big international thing, you know, so I've got extra cash in the bank."

"Why, Daru!" Kurisu says, "That's so unexpectedly kind of you!"

 _Whoa… she's such a good actor…_

I guess I'm forced to contribute. "Seriously, Daru, thanks. I know I can always trust my right hand!"

Yuki blinks, confused. "His… what?"

"Hahaha!" Daru laughs with artificial loudness. "Don't listen to him, he's a little… mad, I suppose. Haha!'

Kurisu stifles a genuine laugh and whispers, "I swear, you guys are way too weird for this poor girl…"

"But you love that about us, don't you?" I taunt. "That's why you can't stay away from the lab!"

Kurisu leans into my arm again, and then immediately pulls away. "Maybe I'm just a curious scientist."

I lean down and speak softly to her. "Why can't it be both? Stop being such a tsundere…"

"Okabe! Stop that!" She cries out in annoyance.

Her eyes flash as she scolds me.

I grin. "Maybe I will when you stop being one."

She glares at me, eyes still gleaming, and we both know it'll be a long time before that happens.


	8. Chapter 8

Grunting, I pull my old, massive suitcase out of the taxi cab and into the exterior of the Narita airport.

Kurisu studies it, clearly skeptical. "What IS that?" She says, acting if she's looking at an unidentified specimen.

I take a breath as I lug it closer. "Use your eyes. It's a suitcase."

She shifts her eyes to the side. "Maybe it WAS a suitcase…"

"We can't all have things as nice as you, Celeb Seventeen." I reply, glancing to her neat roller suitcase.

Kurisu shakes her head and yawns. "Haven't heard THAT one in a while."

I can't help but mirror that yawn. It's about 5am, and the morning sun mocks us as we prepare for the rigors of intercontential travel. We spent the whole previous day packing and preparing, but really… nothing can prepare your body for this type of ordeal.

 _Goodbye, huge hotel bed… I'll miss you. But alas, you are nothing without Kurisu anyway._

We head inside together to escape the morning light, not speaking much. We're both too tired. Despite the how early it is, or perhaps because of it, the airport is bustling with activity.

Suddenly I feel an incessant buzzing in my pocket. It's been going like that for a few minutes, but since I've got other things to focus on today, I was ignoring it.

I pull out my phone and see who's been spamming me.

From: Unknown Number

Subject: Goodbye & Goodluck

Hey, this is Moeka Kiryu, from the CRT shop. In case you didn't get the last message… goodbye and goodluck! PS: Mayrui gave me this number. Hope that's okay.

It feel strange to have someone who used to be my hated enemy wishing me well. But Mokea and I on this timeline don't have much of a relationship, to the extent of active avoidance. I don't even know how she knew I was leaving today. So why…?

"Tuturu~!"

 _Do my ears deceive me!?_

I gasp, dropping my suitcase with a thud.

"Oh my god." Kurisu mutters.

Waiting before us, standing in a tight group in the middle of the airport, is the entire lab membership.

Mayuri is at the front, as cheerful as ever despite the ungodly hour. Faris is with her, still dressed in her maid outfit, putting on her best smile. Daru and Yuki are behind them, and Daru looks half asleep while he rubs his eyes. Even the shyest of the bunch, little Ruka and the much taller Moeka, are there, hiding behind their hands or phones respectively.

"Guys…" I say slowly. "My loyal lab members… what are you even doing here?!"

Faris jumps forward. "We wanted to see you off, nyah!" She holds up her "paws" and puts on a pouty expression. "We're gonna miss you so much, Koyama!"

Everyone crowds around, saying their goodbyes.

"Be sure to call! And I'll send you nice things in the mail!" Mayuri is full of ideas as always.

Ruka creeps forward, avoiding eye contact. "Um… be sure to come visit the shrine when you get back, okay? Don't forget us…"

I'm overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. Maybe it's the exhaustion, but I feel terribly sentimental.

 _I really am lucky. I would have been a fool to let fate take this away from me._

"Hey, everyone!" Yuki calls out. "Let's get a picture!"

We crowd together so we can all fit into the frame of a phone, but I notice that Kurisu is standing in front of us and not squeezing in.

I pull away from the group. "What's wrong, assistant?" I ask.

"Oh!" she seems flustered. "I just thought… I could take the photo for you."

I raise my voice. "Absolutely not!" I yell. "You're a lab member too, through and through! You must be present as well."

I approach a random young man who was making the mistake of gawking at us. "You!" I demand, "Would you do us the honor of taking this photo?"

He nods, flustered, and I hand him my phone before rushing back over to get into the photo. Since I'm so tall, I stand in front of the girls and next to Daru, with Kurisu standing in front of me.

 _Maybe I should do a mad scientist pose…_

"Got it!" The man has already finished snapping the photo.

 _Oh well._

I take the phone from him, and everyone draws in close to see the photo.

"Aww! We all look so cute!" Mayrui gushes. "Be sure to forward this us!"

I stand for a moment and look closely at the tiny, grainy image of myself and all my friends.

 _Thanks, guys. Thanks for everything._

Kurisu suddenly pulls away in alarm. "Dang, Okabe, times up. We really should get moving."

"You're right, assistant." I reply, and the group begins to break up. "Everyone, look after the lab while where gone! I'm counting on you!"

Kurisu and I pull away from the group, where they stand waving and carrying on. Ruka even has tears in his eyes. But we pass through the entrance to security, and the Future Gadget Lab vanishes from my sight.

We reach the line and begin to wait, and as we do, Kurisu turns to me.

"You have really great friends." She says softly. "Are you really okay with leaving them behind…?" She pulls a hand through her hair, eyes downcast.

"What do you mean? I'm coming back." I say, unable to process what appears to be grief in her voice. "Besides… this way, I can spend more time with you."

She turns to me, ready to reply, but at that moment we get split up for a moment by the security scan. Tense, I go through the motions until I am cleared to the other side. I grab Kurisu's suitcase before she gets free, and make a motion to hand it back to her.

"Kurisu…" I placing the bag in front of her, "I want to come with you! The other lab mems can take care of themselves. Don't worry about them. Focus on your research!"

She places her hand on mind as I hand her bag back to her, catching me by surprise. I can feel her fingers tighten around mine.

"You're right." She sighs, looking up at me with a refreshed gaze. "We should make the most of it."

We are now barreling towards our terminal, and it kind of all hits me at once.

 _I'm going to America. With Kurisu. My girlfriend. This is it, this is my life._

We enter a room with huge windows, planes landing and taking off not far beyond it. The whole place glows with natural light as men and woman hustle from place to place. This is the living world, and I'm nothing more than part of it.

"Okabe?" Kurisu has paused in front of me, concern on her face. "Are you coming?"

We face each other, and the lighting in this transient place makes the scene feel scared.

 _How many times now have we faced each other like this? Trapped in the moment, unable to speak out feelings, separated by fate, yet overflowing with longing._

But this time, I have something I want to say.

"Sorry." I give a weary smile. "It's just…"

I draw closer to her, and everyone and everything else fades away.

"I love you." I say softly.

She steps closer, but does not reply.

She faces me, just like all those other times, the light making her silhouette come alive with fire, just like that one wonderful morning. The gentleness hiding behind those sharp eyes, the tiny curves in her confident posture, the sound of her smooth, confident voice…

Then she grabs my lab coat and leans up, placing a quick kiss on my lips and leaping away just as fast.

"I love you too, idiot." She smiles, grabbing her suitcase again. "Now let's not be late for our plane, alright?"

"Of course." I shake myself out of my trance, suddenly becoming aware of all the people around us.

 _She just kissed me… in public… I suppose I should feel ashamed, but this feeling is anything but shame._

I follow after her, moving towards the line that's forming in front of our terminal.

 _This is it._

Suddenly I feel a hand in my right one, where the handle of my suitcase isn't. I lean gently into her shoulder, feeling her heat mingle with mine.

Bathed in a sublime light, we walk together, hand in hand, proud and curious, towards that grand unknown called the "future."

~fin~

 _Thanks so much for reading!_


End file.
